July 24, 2022

One of my favorite quips is, “We raise our children to be independent – and they go and do it!”

Recently it hit me that, of course, that quip applies to me.  I am – and each of us is – a child not only of our human parents, but of God, however named; of the Holy Spirit; of Life with a capital L.

Each of us, having received the gift of life, may and must make our own creative and independent decisions as to what the gift of life means to us and what stewardship of that gift calls upon us to do.

What are we called upon to do today, and this week?

What will the legacy of our choices be for future generations?

Individual uniqueness and public policy

Each and every human being is unique – unique physically, intellectually, emotionally, and of course in their own experience.  

Especially in a society which claims to honor individual liberty, the public policy effect of this basic truth should be to recognize it and, while protecting people from harmful acts of others, to honor and protect people’s uniqueness – people’s right to be themselves even when they are very different from most people.

The public policy effect of individual uniqueness should never be to condemn it, or its harmless expression, particularly when individual differences make us uncomfortable.  The emotional or intellectual comfort of individuals in a society, even of most people, is not a sound or just basis for condemning, let alone punishing, harmless expression of a person’s uniqueness.  Indeed, some discomfort, some grumbling, on the way to acceptance of basic social values is inevitable in a society where no one gets to have things exactly as they would like all the time.

Any public policy based not on risk, or acts, of harm to others, or to society as a whole, but on rejection of individual uniqueness – on conformity to perceived norms including physical or mental health, political or religious views, race, appearance, gender identity, or who one associates with – is fundamentally contrary to individual liberty, to the Golden Rule, and in some respects to the United States Constitution.

Imagining being condemned for something about us which is perceived by someone else as “different,” but which doesn’t harm anyone, can help us understand that to deny another person’s right to be as they are, and to believe as they do, is unjust and ultimately as futile as their denial of our uniqueness would be.

May 22, 2022

 According to The Bible, Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do.”  [John 14:12]

Imagine being just as much a child of God as Jesus.

Imagine each of us being just as much a child of God as Jesus.

Imagine every one of the billions of people on this planet being just as much a child of God as Jesus, including those – some of them Christians - who disagree with us, who mock us, and who to all appearances hate us.

How shall we think about, and relate to, our holy siblings who disagree with us, mock us, hate us - and even wish us harm?

A good starting point is one of love, truth, and humility.

Uniqueness and growth

Each and every human being is unique.  

Consciousness of our own uniqueness is crucial to maturity.  While it is impossible, and would be imprudent, for anyone to bare every detail of their (not just his or her) uniqueness to others, exploration and acceptance of our own uniqueness is crucial to growth, peace of mind, and joy.

May 8, 2022

In Jesus and the Disinherited, the late theologian Howard Thurman wrote, “Uniqueness always escapes us as we undertake an analysis of character.”

Imagine.  All the people who have ever lived, who are living now, and who will live in centuries to come — each one was, is, or will be unique.

The commandment to love one’s neighbor as oneself has no exception.  The commandment is not to love one’s neighbor as oneself so long as it is comfortable to do so.

Do I honor and love myself in my uniqueness, with all my quirks?

This is a spiritual question because, probably, only to the extent I honor and accept my uniqueness can I gain the capacity to love each neighbor in all his or her uniqueness.

March 6, 2022

What is the purpose and importance of the human body but to serve as the vehicle of individual consciousness, growth, expression, and work of the Spirit of Life?

Individual choice and its effects on society

Society is the sum of the results of people's choices and actions – yours and mine and everyone else's – whether they be altruistic or self-centered, engaged or withdrawn, wholesome or toxic, sensible or reckless, kind or cruel, loving or indifferent.

We must not wait for others to sustain and improve society.  We should now and always do in life at least the share that we believe a functioning society requires of us.  We should expect our perception of what is our share to evolve.  We should do that share without complaint or pridefulness because, after all, it is simply our share.  And we should avoid self-righteousness lest we inject that poison into our lives, the lives of those around us, and, particularly by the example we set, into society.

In this light, perhaps the most important discipline for ourselves and for society – for the peace, productivity, fairness and happiness of society – is not the discipline we may wish others had.  It is the discipline we, as individuals, create and live by. 

As if in reward, those who set and live by the discipline of going cheerfully beyond their minimum share quickly learn that doing so works as well in relationships as it does for society.